Early Broadcasting in the Bay Area, Pt. 3

Originally published in the March, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Early Broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area: Stations that Didn’t Survive, 1920-25
John F. Schneider
Seattle, Washington Copyright 1997

6UV/KYY
Perhaps the first station to broadcast in the San Francisco area after Doc Herrold's KQW, was 6UV, a tiny station operated by the Radio Telephone Shop at 175 Steuart Street, near the San Francisco waterfront. That section of Steuart Street was known as "radio row", because of the large number of radio parts stores located there. 6UV, later re-licensed KYY, was operated by the store's proprietor, A. F. Pendleton. He was on the air from 8 to 9 PM every Tuesday and Friday night on 425 meters. 6UV first went on the air about March or April, 1920, and operated only for about two years.

6XW/AG1
Another of the early broadcast operations was carried on by the U. S. Army. The Army Signal Corps at the Presidio Army base operated an amateur station to communicate with local amateurs and other Army bases, but it also broadcast music and information programs to the general public. Known first as 6XW and then later by the call letters AG1, this station was operated by Sgt. Richard C. Travers. In an article appearing in 1921 in Radio Magazine, Sgt. Travers described the purpose of the operation: The experimental work of the Signal Corps School, Presidio of San Francisco, California, was commenced about August 1, 1920, with the idea in view of determining the maximum efficiency of some Signal Corps equipment ... Another reason was to afford a means of educating new amateurs just coming into the game and at the same time advocate the C. W. transmission for the amateur with a view of lessening interference.

Considerable has been accomplished up to the present in both undertakings. In a recent test made by the school, it was shown that there are 320 that are actually interested in the educational matters and concerts transmitted by this station. And, from the same test report it was shown than an audience of about 5,000 people listen to the radiophone concerts. AG1 broadcast a concert of phonograph records every Sunday evening from 7 to 9 PM, and during this program Sgt. Travers answered questions put to him by his listeners. The Presidio continued its broadcast activities until mid-1923.

Upcoming Netcast, Pt. 2

Originally published in the March, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Broadcasting On April 4 and 5

Kiss your sweetheart goodbye as you snuggle down to two full days of old-time radio shows. On April 4-5, Radio Out of the Past.org will be broadcasting shows from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific or Noon to midnight Eastern. This time around we take a serious look at sidekicks or partners. No, they weren’t all western—there were a lot of shows that had sidekicks—what about I Love a Mystery or The Shadow? And there plenty of partners in the realms of comedy. And yes, Westerns. Cast your eye down the schedule listed below. You better lay in your favorite nibbles and beverages.

All you need to do is log into www.RadioOutofthePast.org. Once there, tab down to The Fred Bertelsen Old-time-radio Room. Enter the room by clicking or pressing enter. You might need to download the talking community software ahead of time. Then just sign in, without using a password. Door prizes are ready to be awarded, so you don’t want to miss this weekend.
April 4-5 Sidekick Marathon

Sunday 9 am John Beaulieu, Townsend, Mass.
Big Jon & Sparkie: No School Today: General Comet of the Universe
Ozzie & Harriet: Complaints 1949-03-27
Space Patrol: Queen of Space 1952-11-15
Wild Bill Hickok: Mixed Brands 1951-08-12

Sunday 12 noon Bob Acosta, Los Angeles, Cal.
Lone Ranger: Temple of the Sun 1943-03-31
Bergen& McCarthy: 1945-10-21
Meet Corliss Archer: Dexter thinks Corliss has another boyfriend
The Shadow: Blind beggar dies 1938-04-17
Dragnet: 1949-07-14

Sunday 3 pm Larry Gassman, Fullerton, Cal
I Love a Mystery: Grandma what big teeth you have 1945-05-21
Bold Venture: Treasure on Flamingo Cay 1951-04-23
Ellery Queen 1939-07-16
Lone Ranger: Billy Tilghman 1944-09-04
Nero Wolfe 1950-11-24

Sunday 6 pm John Gassman, Anaheim, Cal
Adventures by Morse: A coffin for the Lady (3 parts) 44-03-18. 44-03-25. 44-04-01
Bold Venture: Deadly Merchandise aka Gun Runners 51-03-26
Gunsmoke: Never Pester Chester 52-07-05

Upcoming Netcast, Pt. 1

Originally published in the March, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Broadcasting On April 4 and 5

Kiss your sweetheart goodbye as you snuggle down to two full days of old-time radio shows. On April 4-5, Radio Out of the Past.org will be broadcasting shows from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific or Noon to midnight Eastern. This time around we take a serious look at sidekicks or partners. No, they weren’t all western—there were a lot of shows that had sidekicks—what about I Love a Mystery or The Shadow? And there plenty of partners in the realms of comedy. And yes, Westerns. Cast your eye down the schedule listed below. You better lay in your favorite nibbles and beverages.

All you need to do is log into http://www.radiooutofthepast.org/. Once there, tab down to The Fred Bertelsen Old-time-radio Room. Enter the room by clicking or pressing enter. You might need to download the talking community software ahead of time. Then just sign in, without using a password. Door prizes are ready to be awarded, so you don’t want to miss this weekend.
April 4-5 Sidekick Marathon

Saturday 9 am Host: Devon Wilkins, Collingwood, Ontario (Canada)
Wayne and Shuster: The Ballet Jake and the kid: Elbow Room Feb. 1952
Roy Rogers Show: Rabies 1953-03-26
Adventures of Rin Tin Tin: The Ambassador 1955-11-13
Martin & Lewis: Hopalong Cassidy 1949-08-02

Saturday 12 noon Joy Jackson, Seattle, Washington
I Love a Mystery (ART production)
Tooth Fairy Inc (ART production)
Bright Star
Hashknife Hartley (ART production)
Vic and Sade (ART production)

Saturday 3 pm Kelly Sapergia, Moose Jaw, Sas. (Canada)
Burns and Allen: The Doctor
Amos and Andy: Andrew H Brown, actor
Gunsmoke: The Brothers
New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Tell-tale Pigeon Feathers
Green Hornet: The voice

Saturday 6 pm Rob Hancik, Bethlehem, Penn
Dragnet: The Sullivan kidnapping 49-09-10
Fibber McGee and Molly: Fishing Trip 53-06-30
Amos and Andy: Dummy found in rumble seat
Bergen and McCarthy 43-09-05 guest Humphrey Bogart
Ozzie and Harriet 1948-11-07 Ozzie in a rut
Vic and Sade39-07-05 Two tons of coal

Early Broadcasting in the Bay Area, Pt. 2

Originally published in the March, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Early Broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area: Stations that Didn’t Survive, 1920-25
John F. Schneider
Seattle, Washington Copyright 1997

At first, radio broadcasting stations operated with an experimental amateur license, and with call signs such as 6XAJ. They could operate over a wide range of frequencies. However, new Department of Commerce regulations went into effect on December 1, 1921, which required all non-government broadcasting stations to obtain a “Limited Commercial” license. These new licenses came with new three- or four-letter call signs; thus 6XAJ became KZM. This new license also required all stations to broadcast on the single authorized frequency of 360 meters (833 kHz). Because the stations could not operate simultaneously on this channel without causing interference to each other, the owners of the stations met and agreed upon a time-sharing schedule. Each station would have exclusive use of the frequency for several hours each day. (The F.R.C. finally ended the sharing of this one frequency and assigned stations individual frequencies on May 15, 1923.)

To a listener of that time, radio was a new discovery. Again, programs didn't matter. It was the sheer enjoyment of listening to voices and music being pulled out of the air with a home-built crystal set. Within the course of two years, radio went from a means of point-to-point communications for commercial purposes, plus the activities of a small group of radio "hams", to everybody's hobby, and wire antennas stretched across the back yards of more and more households. Young boys found radio particularly exciting, and children across the country were winding wire around oatmeal boxes to build their own crystal radios. The San Francisco Examiner noted the sudden rise in radio's popularity when it reported in 1922, "Radio, the virulent malady which has swept the East, is rapidly spreading to the coast. Once bitten by the germ, there is no cure for the delighted victim."

Radio programs during this period consisted almost entirely of phonograph records, with only occasional news reports, crop reports or live music programs. Programs did not have the polished, produced sound of later years. For example, KUO, the Examiner station, announced its programs, "Hello; hello; this is the San Francisco Examiner's radio broadcasting station, KUO -- K - U - O. Receivers will kindly give us a check. Thank you, thank you."

Early Broadcasting in the Bay Area, Pt. 1

Originally published in the March, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Early Broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area: Stations that Didn’t Survive, 1920-25
John F. Schneider
Seattle, Washington Copyright 1997

Radio broadcasting as an experimental concept had an early start in the San Francisco Bay area with the activities of Doc Herrold in San Jose. Herrold's station which started broadcasting on a regular basis in 1912. This pioneer station eventually became KQW and later KCBS.Apart from Doc Herrold and a few other pioneer efforts, however, regular broadcasting to the public did not commence until 1920. That was the year that some of the first serious broadcast stations appeared in different parts of the country, including KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There was a gradual growth in the public’s interest in radio for the next two years, and then suddenly an explosion of interest in 1922. In that year, the number of radio broadcasters in the country grew from a few dozen to more than 450. The explosive and sudden growth of radio in 1922 has parallels today in the sudden growth of the internet beginning about 1995.

In that early gestation period between 1920 and 1922, San Francisco led the country in the number of broadcast stations. At a time when most major cities in the U.S. had only one or two radio stations, the San Francisco area had seven: 6XC (KZY), 6XG (KDN), 6XAJ (KZM), 6XAC (KLP), 6XAG (KJJ), 6XAM (KLS), and AG1.

However, it’s hard to pin down the number of stations precisely, because that number was constantly changing, due to the fledgling nature of the field. Small stations would come on the air for several months, operated on a shoestring budget by young experimenters and then would suddenly go off the air, to be replaced as quickly by other short- lived stations. These radio stations stood with a foot in the new world of broadcasting and another foot entrenched in the world of amateur radio. The purpose of the station was often experimental, or to promote the activities of the business that operated it. The advertising revenue that provided stability for radio in its later years had yet to develop, and so there was no income to financially sustain the stations' activities. (The first recognized on-air advertisement took place on WBAY in New York on August 28, 1922). Equipment failures were frequent, and the programming itself was of secondary importance - what was important was just being on the air.

History of WMAQ Chapter 3, Pt. 2

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

The History of WMAQ Radio Chapter 3
Tom Gootee

There hal always been a question as to whether anyone actually hears that initial program from WGU. With the large building surrounding the decidedly inefficient transmitter and antenna, it was a miracle if the 360 meter signal ever crossed State Street. In fact, the program was not only the first broadcast, but also the last broadcast using the venerable De Forest transmitter. WGU was closed down the next day, and negotiations were soon begun to acquire newer and finer equipment, built especially for radio broadcasting. In spite of difficulties, there were a few optimistic persons at the new station who firmly believed in the possibilities of radio. Particularly, they were Miss Judith Waller and the Radio Editor of the Daily News, William Hedges. And with their help, the idea of continuing the station did not die down with the closing of WGU. The Daily News made arrangements to broadcast news bulletins and feature programs over the more successful KYW station, and an order was immediately placed with the Western Electric Company for new equipment.

But manufacturing processes were slow in 1922, due mainly to the increased demand for radio equipment, and it was several months until a new 500 watt transmitter was delivered to the station atop the Fair Building.In the meantime, other new stations came to Chicago. In May, 1922, a station was opened in the Palmer House using the call WAAF. Early in June, WDAP began operation in the Wrigley Building, and later in the same month Walter a Kuehl’s WQX went on the air. Other stations had applied for licenses to go on the air that fall, and the problem of allocating so many stations on two single wavelengths became an impossible feat. Finally, the Department of Commerce, under Secretary Herbert Hoover, reorganized the entire broadcast band. New and separate channels were set aside for different classes of stations, according to the operating power and according to geographical location. The old 360 meter channel had at last ceased to exist as a catch-as-catch-can boiling pot for all stations——and this meant that a new frequency would have to be assigned to the Fair-News station when it again went on the air.

This article was originally published at http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/history/ and reprinted in the Old Radio Times by permission.

History of WMAQ Chapter 3, Pt. 1

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

The History of WMAQ RadioChapter 3
Tom Gootee

A De Forest marine transmitter, of questionable age, was acquired and adapted for voice transmission. As a functioning piece of equipment it left much to be desired---but it was the only kind of radio equipment available and, as such, it served its purpose. One tube, type unknown but of De Forest make, comprised the entire tube complement. It was rated at 250 watts input, which probably accounted for the optimistic accounts of 250 watts for the entire transmitter. Actually only about 100 watts was fed to the antenna, a quantity which could only be estimated. The single tube was modulated by means of a transformer inserted into the grid circuit; the primary being coupled to a small telephone transmitter mounted on the end of an insulated handle. The insulation was necessary because part of the transmitter was “hot” with radio frequency energy, which fed back into the grid circuit.

The antenna was a typical ship installation, mounted on the roof of the Fair Building. It was a four-wire flat top suspended between the top of the water tank at the east end of the building and a brick chimney at the west end of the building.

The transmitter was installed on the fourth floor of the Fair Building and the studio was located directly under it, on the floor below. The station was assigned the call WGU, and licensed to operate on the common frequency of 360 meters (833 kilocycles). This measurement could only be approximated, as the only frequency meters that were then available consisted of a coil of wire, a condenser and a thermo-millameter calibrated against the Federal Radio Inspector’s wave-meter.

A trial program---actually the first broadcast---was put on the air the afternoon of April 12th, from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m., and all the equipment was checked and tested for the grand opening of WGU the following evening.

The first formal broadcast was put on the air the night of April 13thm 1922. It consisted of a musical program lasting about thirty minutes, from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m., and featured Sophie Braslau, Leon Sametini and a few other Chicago artists and musicians. The program was directed and announced by Miss Judith Waller, a name destined to be synonymous with the Daily News station for many years to come.

This article was originally published at http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/history/ and reprinted in the Old Radio Times by permission.

5 Steps to Enjoying OTR Anwhere in the House, Pt. 2

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

5 Steps to Enjoying Your Audio Anywhere in Your House
Ned Norris

The wonderful thing about FM transmitters is it allows you to listen to all the MP3 files you have stored on your computer or one of the online music services, whilst at the same time giving you the freedom to move around your house.

Luckily, the price of FM transmitters has dropped overthe past few years and you should be able to pick up a decent FM transmitter that will work throughout a typical house for less than $100.

There are a few things worth looking out for when deciding which FM transmitter to buy. Most important of all is the distance the signal covers. If you live in a tiny apartment there's no need to spend the extra money on a powerful unit that will transmit 1000 feet, unless of course you want the whole neighborhood to be able to tune in to your broadcast. On the other hand, don't buy one that will only transmit 10 feet if you want to listen at the bottom of the garden which is 150 feet from your computer.

A second thing to look out for is a digital display. Some units have no digital display telling you what frequency you are tuned into and require you to turn a screw on the back to adjust the frequency. This can be quite time consuming as it requires quite a bit of experimentation. The end result is exactly the same, but with a digital display it is easy to set the FM transmitter to a specific frequency by reading the numbers on the display and then set the radio to exactly the same frequency.

Lastly, some units run on batteries whereas others will run from a power supply. If the unit you buy runs off batteries make sure that it has an auto-off facility that will allow you to set a period after which the unit will automatically turn itself off. If you don't have this you'll find yourself wasting a lot of batteries.

FM transmitters are ideal for transmitting around your house, but the same technology can also provide an ideal way of listening to your MP3 player in your car without having to invest in an in-car MP3 unit. Just plug a battery powered FM transmitter into your MP3 player and then tune your car stereo into the same frequency.

So, now you know just how easy it is to set-up your very own micro radio station for your very own listening pleasure. Whether you're a music fan, an audiobook lover, or an old time radio aficionado, this is one little gadget that can really add to the overall enjoyment.

Ned Norris is the webmaster of http://www.rusc.com/.

5 Steps to Enjoying OTR Anywhere in the House, Pt. 1

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

5 Steps to Enjoying Your Audio Anywhere in Your House
Ned Norris

Imagine ...

You're lying on your favorite sun lounger in your garden.
There isn't a cloud in the sky.
You can feel the sun's rays on your skin and there is a gentle breeze blowing through your hair.
There is a wooden table to your right. On the table is a tall glass. Inside the glass is your favorite ice-cool drink.Next to the glass is a radio. From the radio you can hear your favorite music, old time radio shows, audiobooks, or whatever it is that tickles your fancy. When whatever you are listening to finishes another one of your favorites will start without you ever having to move a muscle.
Life is good!

Okay, you can stop imagining now and get back down to reality. The reason for me wanting you to imagine that scenario is I wanted you to feel just how good it is having a little gadget called an FM transmitter. Some of you reading this will know what I'm talking about, but for those who don't let me explain.

An FM transmitter is a rather clever gadget that allows you to transmit sound directly from your computer to any radio in your house. It's completely wireless and works just like a normal radio station, but on a much smaller scale.

Here's what happens. It's really easy.

Step 1 - You plug the device into your sound card.
Step 2 - You select a frequency on the device that you want to broadcast at. For example you might select 92.5 FM.
Step 3 - You pick a radio show you'd like to listen to and start it playing on your computer.
Step 4 - You go to any FM radio in your house and tune it in to 92.5 FM.
Step 5 - You sit down and enjoy

The radio needs to be within a certain range, which will vary between 50 feet and 300 feet depending on the strength of the FM transmitter you are using and the number of walls and other obstructions the signal need to pass through to get to you.

Ned Norris is the webmaster of www.rusc.com.

Charles Herrold, Pt. 4

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Charles Herrold: A Father of Broadcasting
Barry Mishkind

Recognition elusive

So, with all this background, why is it that many books and historians ignore "Doc" Herrold and his achievements? Perhaps it was just a matter of timing. In April 1917, all non-governmental broadcasting was ordered off the air for the duration of the war. During that time, all radio patents were "pooled" in order to provide the best radios for the military. Electronic advances tied to De Forest's Audion tubes and others made the mechanical Arc Fone obsolete.

After the war, Herrold had to rebuild his station to conform with the new standard of broadcasting. In 1921, the Department of Commerce assigned KQW as the station identification. (The last change in calls was in 1949 and the station is known today as KCBS, San Francisco.)Unfortunately, Herrold had a hard time keeping his station going into the 1920s, and his dream began to unravel as he was forced to sell KQW in 1925. Sadly, the "handshake" arrangement he had with the 1st Baptist Church broke down and he was soon fired as the station engineer.

Over the years, Herrold tried various ways to stay near broadcasting. He was one of the first time brokers, buying time from stations, and then re-selling it to others. An effort to establish himself as The Father of Broadcasting failed to attract much attention from the broadcast community. The last years of his life were largely marked by a string of menial jobs, such as a security guard. A saddened Charles Herrold died at 73 on July 1, 1948.Was Charles "Doc" Herrold The Father of Broadcasting? Possibly. What is certain is that he was A Father of Broadcasting.

More information is available at http://www.charlesherrold.org

[A plea: if you or your station has a written history, or any information on the roots of broadcasting, please share them with me. I would appreciate anything that would illuminate the pioneer stations and the men who built them. Books, newspaper clippings, old licenses, ratecards, EKKO stamps, radio guides, even photocopies are of benefit. Send them to Barry Mishkind, 2033 S. Augusta Place, Tucson, AZ 85710.

- Barry Mishkind, aka RW's "Eclectic Engineer," can be reached at 520-296-3797, via the Internet. You can find his home page at http://www.broadcast.net/~barry/

Charles Herrold, Pt. 3

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Charles Herrold: A Father of Broadcasting
Barry Mishkind

Broadcasting?

It may well be that the weekly "Little Ham Program," sent out every Wednesday evening at 9PM qualifies as the start of broadcasting, at least by the definition Herrold himself used. As the son of a farmer, the concept of "broadcasting" seed was well known to Herrold. He claimed to have been the first to adapt the term to the wireless, and particularly in relation to regularly scheduled entertainment programs.

The disk jockey on Herrold's station was noteworthy: the first woman to broadcast was his wife, Sybil. Playing records provided by the Sherman Clay music store, the Herrold's likely developed the first "trade-out!" Listeners from as far away as 900 miles called to request records during the program. Among the other techniques used by Herrold to cultivate interest in his station were weekly prizes awarded to regular listeners.

Aside from ads for his College and the trade-out ads for the records from Sherman Clay, Herrold had no commercials as we know them. However, he apparently had some ideas, and wrote the Department of Commerce to ask about using the station for paid advertising. It is reported the response was "Under the laws we can find nothing by which we can prevent your selling merchandise over the air, but by the Lord Harry we hope that somebody does."

By 1915, Herrold's station SJN was well known throughout the region by amateur radio enthusiasts. But it was during the World's Fair of that year that the new medium was given a real stress test. Lee de Forest had set up a transmitter and receiver at the Fair, but the transmitter failed to operate. The upshot? Herrold's Arc Fone transmitted from San Jose to the fairgrounds, some 50 miles, eight hours a day during the Fair.

The demonstration amazed the people, who listened to news about the Fair and music. We today can only imagine what it was like: one of Herrold's associates reported that people who came into the booth would often start looking under the table, or in the back. They just did not believe the voices and music were coming from 50 miles away!

- Barry Mishkind, aka RW's "Eclectic Engineer," can be reached at 520-296-3797, via the Internet. You can find his home page at http://www.broadcast.net/~barry/

Charles Herrold, Pt. 2

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Charles Herrold: A Father of Broadcasting
Barry Mishkind

Charles "Doc" Herrold
A decade before Frank Conrad built the radio station that would become KDKA as part of a bet on the accuracy of his watch, Charles Herrold was experimenting in San Francisco. But it was the initiation of voice transmissions from his "Herrold College of Wireless and Engineering" at San Jose, CA in 1909 that made Charles "Doc" Herrold a true pioneer.

Herrold was born November 16, 1875 in Illinois. His father was both a farmer and inventor. With this sort of example, it was natural that Charles was also keenly interested in science and mechanics. Like his father, he was an inventor, developing new products in many fields, including dentistry and surgery, photography, and music.

As part of his early love of astronomy, he invented a clock driven telescope. However, it was the loss of his school's only astronomy professor that caused him to move to physics, and electricity and the wireless took over his life.

Eventually Herrold built a 15 watt spark gap transmitter. He wanted more, however, than just telegraphy. He wanted to transmit voice information. A carbon microphone was connected in series with the B+ high voltage supply to the spark transmitter. As much as 50 watts of output power could be developed this way.Early listeners begain to hear "This is the Herrold Station" or "San Jose Calling". The call letters "FN" were adopted for a while, as were 6XE, 6XF and SJN. However, transmission time was curtailed by the need to replace the carbon element every one or two hours. Improvements were made, leading to the invention of the "Arc Fone." The Arc Fone was essentially six arc lights in series which developed a high frequency arc carrier upon which voice could be carried. At first, the necessary 500 volts was tapped from the streetcar lines. A special water cooled microphone had to be built to prevent it from burning out. The Arc Fone was patented on December 21, 1915.

In the meantime, Herrold had decided one of the best uses for his invention was to feed the interest of experimenters with regular programs that would publicize his College. He set up a listening room with chairs and 24 sets of receivers at a local furniture store. Later he would set up another transmitter at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, becoming a pioneer "two way" broadcaster in 1912.

- Barry Mishkind, aka RW's "Eclectic Engineer," can be reached at 520-296-3797, via the Internet. You can find his home page at http://www.broadcast.net/~barry/

Charles Herrold, Pt. 1

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Charles Herrold: A Father of Broadcasting
Barry Mishkind

Long before anyone even thought about the question of who was the first broadcaster, a long list of young men around the world were experimenting with the new technology that Marconi had brought forth, the wireless transmitter.

Fessenden, De Forest, Tesla, Hertz, Edison, Conrad, Herrold, Stubblefield, and many more were out there. When the Department of Commerce began issuing licenses in 1911, a number of amateurs applied for licenses to cover their experimental stations constructed over the previous five or six years. (By the way, the first license was issued to George Lewis of Cincinnati, OH.)In the main, Marconi, Fessenden, Hertz, Edison, even De Forest, came to be better known as scientists and inventors, rather than broadcasters. And, while KDKA truly has its place in history as the earliest of licensees with the word "commercial" attached (even though commercials as we know them, were still several years off), several stations trace their history before November 1920, and even before KDKA's predecessor 8XK. Hence, trying to specify "The Father of Broadcasting" may not be a reasonable assignment. For example, what about Charles D. Herrold?

- Barry Mishkind, aka RW's "Eclectic Engineer," can be reached at 520-296-3797, via the Internet. You can find his home page at http://www.broadcast.net/~barry/

Women's Magazine, Pt. 2

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

1945 Woman's Magazine Featured Ads Dominated by Emphasis on WWII
Bob Cox

Balanced Pacific Sheets gave a lengthy plea: “Let’s pitch in and give the boys what they need to finish this war and give it in lavish abundance. Take a war job or hang on the one you have. Buy bonds … more and more and still more. Conserve your worldly goods: mend that old sheet; don’t throw it away. And when at last you must buy replacements, let them be (of course) superb Pacific Balanced Sheets.”

An article titled “My Country “Twas of Thee” warns returning servicemen that things would not be as they left them and they too must sacrifice until supplies catch up with demand.

Another article, “The High School Crowd Lends a Hand,” describes how volunteers were serving in the Junior Division of The American Women’s Hospitals Reserve Corps at Jamaica Hospital in Long Island, NY. The ladies worked one half day each week performing a variety of helpful tasks.

A notice on one page said: “The wartime burden on transportation facilities may cause delays in shipment of Woman’s Day Magazine to some stores. We regret any inconvenience you may be caused and ask that you not to blame your store manager.”

Another advertisement titled “Carry Victory in Your Basket” suggested numerous helpful hints for reducing paper needs: “Every time you go to the store and carry your purchases home unwrapped, you help bring victory so much nearer. Take along a basket, box, shopping bag or some permanent container that is roomy enough to carry your purchase home.”

The ad asserted how paper was used to wrap and protect more than 700,000 different war items including shell containers, bomb rings, parachutes, flares, blood plasma, vests and V-Mail envelopes. It ended with the words: “Remember – Paper is War Power."

(This article was first published in the Johnson City (Tenn) Press on June 26, 2008, and is reprinted with their kind permission and that of the author).

Women's Magazine, Pt. 1

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

1945 Woman's Magazine Featured Ads Dominated by Emphasis on WWII
Bob Cox

I recently examined the contents of an April 1945 “Woman’s Day” magazine that carried a price tag of two cents. I was three years old when this publication hit the local magazine stands. What impressed me the most was the emphasis of World War II on advertisements and sacrifices made during the bitter conflict. For example:
Red Goose Shoes: “Help Uncle Sam save leather. Buy boys’ and girls’ shoes that wear longer. Invest in war bonds regularly.”
Texcel Tape: “Today most Texcel Tape that’s made is being used for war. Buy bonds and stamps until victory returns to your store."
Oakite Cleanser: “Buy war bonds and stamps.
Johnson’s Glo-Coat Floor Polisher: “Fibber McGee and Molly say, ‘Nurses are needed. All women can help. See the Red Cross or write the Surgeon General, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C.’”
SweetHeart Toilet Soap: “Don’t waste soap. It contains materials vital to the war effort.”
McCormick & Co.: “Serving the Armed Forces throughout the world.”
Swift’s Allsweet Vegetable Oleomargine: “Your first duty to your country - Buy war bonds.”
Waldorf Tissue: “The more war bonds you buy, the shorter the war.”
Beech-Nut Gum: “Until final victory, you may not always find this delicious gum at your (store). Our fighting men are now getting most of it.”
Fletcher’s Castoria (The Laxative made especially for children): The ad title was “I became an Army Nurse and solved a Navy Problem.” The problem was that her brother, a sailor, and his wife had a baby boy suffering from irregularity. The quandary was quickly eradicated with a bottle of Fletcher’s Castoria.
Speed Queen’s washing machine ad revealed the scarcity of appliances during the war. It showed a housewife running toward her husband and joyfully proclaiming, “I’ve got a priority. I stopped at Jones Appliance today and made arrangements to get one of the first Speed Queen washers they get in (after the war). All I had to do was register in a little book. We will be notified when the first shipment arrives.”

(This article was first published in the Johnson City (Tenn) Press on June 26, 2008, and is reprinted with their kind permission and that of the author).

Bob Emery, Pt. 11

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

“Big Brother” Bob Emery ... a Legend in Children's Programming
Donna Halper

In the 1960s, WBZ began moving his show around, changing its day and time, shortening it, changing its name... Clubhouse 4, Big Brother and Flash, Big Brother's World... and finally limiting it to one day a week and asking him to tape it. While Bob did not feel that he was "too old" or out of touch with the audience, a number of the older announcers and performers were being encouraged to retire, as TV continued to change.

Finally, in early January of 1968, Bob did in fact retire, at the age of 70. Some of the surviving members of the Joy Spreaders were at his retirement party. To this day, many of us who grew up watching him have not forgottenhim. After he retired, he was still asked to make some personal appearances for charity, and he did. But he also had time to enjoy his hobbies - he liked to cook, he played golf, he did some acting in theatrical productions.

He and Katherine, his wife of 43 years were very close (she had produced some of his TV shows, in fact); they also had four grandchildren. Yet, although he seemed content that he no longer had the pressure of a daily performance, it still seems to me (based on interviews I have read from that time period) that, given his choice, he would have remained on the air in some capacity. Ultimately, it was a stroke that slowed him down; he died in July of 1982, at the age of 85.

I know of few performers whose careers ran from the era of crystal sets all the way to the era of satellites. The world changed so much, and so did the types of programming for kids. Yet Big Brother Bob Emery kept re-inventing himself decade after decade, appealing to entirely new generations of "small fry". I don't know if his style would work for today's kids - he certainly came from a more innocent, less contentious time. But then, I am sure he would say that some things are timeless, and if a show is honest and interesting, if it provides kids with a chance to get involved in a positive way, it will work no matter what year it is. I don't know if our post-literate society of video games and South Park has room for somebody like Big Brother, but I am certainly glad I was around in those formative years of TV, and I wish I could have heard him on the radio. Rest in peace, Big Brother - and thanks!!!

- Donna Halper is a lecturer and broadcast consultant based in Quincy, MA. Her love of radio history is evident in the way she captures the essence of her subjects.

Bob Emery, Pt. 10

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

“Big Brother” Bob Emery ... a Legend in Children's Programming
Donna Halper

1963
While handling a studio audience of kids was probably no easy task, people I know who worked with him say he was a professional and knew how to run his show; he took great pride in his ability to relate to kids. (When WGI/AMRAD held a reunion in 1964, Bob was there, and said something very interesting - various of the AMRAD folks were lamenting how awful rock and roll was and how radio had deteriorated and how kids these days were uncontrollable. But Bob refused to agree. He said he liked some of the rock music - he especially enjoyed the Beatles - and said that kids today were no worse than kids of any other generation, if you didn't talk down to them and if you let them know what you expected of them. Given how bitter some of the old WGI announcers had become about what had happened to radio over the years, it was refreshing to hear somebody in his 60s saying positive things about the music and about the kids. While I am sure he had bad days like everyone else, Bob Emery never stopped believing in the fact that kids COULD be reached with intelligent children's programming, and he continued to provide it.)

Big Brother, even in his 60s, was a tireless fundraiser. When he went back on the air at Channel 4, he immediately aligned himself with various charities. During one campaign, he encouraged his young viewers to send in their pennies, nickels and dimes to help the Jimmy Fund, and the kids responded with nearly $11,000. This was actually very typical of what Bob could do. He made kids aware of those children who were less fortunate, and then created opportunities for his audience to help. And, to teach responsibility, he asked kids to EARN the money they were donating - by doing chores or baby-sitting or working around their neighborhood.

When storms and tornadoes devastated central Massachusetts in mid 1953, the members of the Small Fry Club helped him raise $18,000; the money went directly to agencies helping children whose families had lost their homes and their possessions. And as he had done during his radio days, Bob was also a frequent visitor to Children's Hospital, where he sang for the kids and entertained them. And he continued making appearances at venues all over eastern Massachusetts - for example, I have a clipping from May of 1958 that announces his visit to the "Kiddie Ranch" on route 1 in Saugus, and another from the spring of 1957 announcing a traffic safety campaign that was taking him to various schools in greater Boston. The idea of doing a good deed - Be Someone's Big Brother or Sister Every Day - was one he never abandoned.

- Donna Halper is a lecturer and broadcast consultant based in Quincy, MA. Her love of radio history is evident in the way she captures the essence of her subjects.

Bob Emery, Pt. 9

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

“Big Brother” Bob Emery ... a Legend in Children's Programming
Donna Halper

I have never been able to find out what caused Shepard and Big Brother to part company - the Big Brother Club was just as popular a decade later as it had been when it first went on the air. Big Brother had famous guests, he put on state-wide spelling bees where schools could field teams and compete for prizes, and of course, he had "opportunity night" - this was a weekly talent show, with the winner having the opportunity to join the supporting cast that put on the Big Brother Club. Yet, despite the popularity of his show and the respect educators and the Boston media had for him, by mid-1933 he and his wife were back in New York.

This time, Bob went to work for WOR, where he developed a highly successful children's show called Rainbow House; during the early 40s, it began running on the Mutual Network. The mid-40s saw a renewed interest in television, and the Dumont station, WABD hired him to create a kids' program for TV. And so it was in 1946 that the Small Fry Club was born. It would run in New York till 1950; interestingly, when WNAC-TV, channel 7, came on the air in the summer of 1948, it began carrying some Dumont shows, including Big Brother's Small Fry Club. It must have brought back a few memories for people who had grown up hearing him on radio, and now here he was on TV.

By the early 50s, Bob was trying to find a way to get back to the city he had always loved, and finally, in November of 1952, he negotiated a contract with WBZ-TV and returned to Boston at last. The remainder of his TV career would take place at WBZ-TV. Although by now he was much older, to a new generation of kids, he was the kindly and informative man who kept them entertained while teaching them new things-- he was very proud of all the kids he taught the Pledge of Allegience, for example. Bob had always liked working with young people, but there is a certain story - attributed to Uncle Don, Big Brother, and various other hosts of children's shows - that claims he allegedly called the kids "little bastards" one day while not realising the mike was still open. I can assure you that this story is an urban legend. There is absolutely no evidence that Big Brother ever did such a thing, yet the story has circulated for years.

- Donna Halper is a lecturer and broadcast consultant based in Quincy, MA. Her love of radio history is evident in the way she captures the essence of her subjects.

Bob Emery, Pt. 8

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

“Big Brother” Bob Emery ... a Legend in Children's Programming
Donna Halper

By 1928, Big Brother had formed a radio drama group, the "Radio Rascals", made up of club members who enjoyed performing. Some even wrote original plays or skits, which he put on the air. He also made numerous appearances for charity and encouraged his audience to dotheir part for their community. In fact, throughout the remainder of the 1920s, Bob Emery continued to find new and interesting ways to teach yet still entertain; one feature involved bringing in real people who had unusual jobs. Bob would create a "you are there" scenario, and through the magic of radio, kids could be taken to all sorts of places, such as a lighthouse or an expedition to the North Pole, and they could pretend they were doing the particular job along with the guest.

On 5 February 1930, something unique occurred - the Big Brother Club was televised, via the experimental station W1XAV, owned by Shortwave and Television Labs Inc. While not many people saw it, we can safely assume that the listeners of WEEI must have been somewhat puzzled when the announcer said tonight's show was not only being heard on radio but was also being televised. Bob Emery was certainly one of the first major radio personalities to do television, and it would be helpful to his career later on.

In the summer of 1930, the opportunity every local personality hoped for happened for him - he was called by NBC, which wanted him to do a once a week (Sunday night) children's show on the network. For a while, he commuted back and forth, working at WEEI and also for NBC. But by the fall, the traveling was too much, and he gave his notice at Edison, to concentrate on developing new children's shows for NBC Red. However, he still loved Boston, and by the summer of 1931, he had signed a contract to broadcast the Big Brother Club over the Yankee Network; owner John Shepard 3rd also made him educational director for the chain of stations.

- Donna Halper is a lecturer and broadcast consultant based in Quincy, MA. Her love of radio history is evident in the way she captures the essence of her subjects.

Bob Emery, Pt. 7

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

“Big Brother” Bob Emery ... a Legend in Children's Programming
Donna Halper

By 1928, Big Brother had formed a radio drama group, the "Radio Rascals", made up of club members who enjoyed performing. Some even wrote original plays or skits, which he put on the air. He also made numerous appearances for charity and encouraged his audience to dotheir part for their community. In fact, throughout the remainder of the 1920s, Bob Emery continued to find new and interesting ways to teach yet still entertain; one feature involved bringing in real people who had unusual jobs. Bob would create a "you are there" scenario, and through the magic of radio, kids could be taken to all sorts of places, such as a lighthouse or an expedition to the North Pole, and they could pretend they were doing the particular job along with the guest.

On 5 February 1930, something unique occurred - the Big Brother Club was televised, via the experimental station W1XAV, owned by Shortwave and Television Labs Inc. While not many people saw it, we can safely assume that the listeners of WEEI must have been somewhat puzzled when the announcer said tonight's show was not only being heard on radio but was also being televised. Bob Emery was certainly one of the first major radio personalities to do television, and it would be helpful to his career later on.

In the summer of 1930, the opportunity every local personality hoped for happened for him - he was called by NBC, which wanted him to do a once a week (Sunday night) children's show on the network. For a while, he commuted back and forth, working at WEEI and also for NBC. But by the fall, the traveling was too much, and he gave his notice at Edison, to concentrate on developing new children's shows for NBC Red. However, he still loved Boston, and by the summer of 1931, he had signed a contract to broadcast the Big Brother Club over the Yankee Network; owner John Shepard 3rd also made him educational director for the chain of stations.

- Donna Halper is a lecturer and broadcast consultant based in Quincy, MA. Her love of radio history is evident in the way she captures the essence of her subjects.

Bob Emery, Pt. 6

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

“Big Brother” Bob Emery ... a Legend in Children's Programming
Donna Halper

He had also started his own vocal group, the Joy Spreaders. Several members of this band had been listeners of his, while others were experienced young musicians from the Boston area. Big Brother and the Joy Spreaders would become regular performers at Keith's Theatre over the next several years, in fact. And for those who really couldn't get enough of Big Brother, in the fall of 1926, he and his band were asked to make their first record. They were signed to the Brunswick label, which evidently felt our area had a lot of talent because Brunswick also signed several other local radio performers, such as WTAG/ Worcester's singer/announcer Chester Gaylord, and Boston-area bandleader and former WGI alumnus Joe Rines. Big Brother and the Joy Spreaders recorded the Big Brother Club theme song (which included the call letters of WEEI) and did a re-enactment of a Big Brother Club meeting, complete with various songs and poems and letters from kids.

The session was called "Big Brother's Brunswick Record", and although I have never seen the actual 78, I do know it WAS released. (If anyone has a copy, I would truly love to hear it!) The record was sold in stores, and also given away as a prize to club members. Bob would also make at least one other record in 1929 for Speak-O-Phone Recording Studios. That one, I do have a copy of, and it is similar to the first one - a re-enactment of a show, with songs, contests, guests, etc. In 1929, he was not yet using "So Long Small Fry", but he WAS using "The Grass is Always Greener".

Thousands and thousands of kids from all over the eastern United States were now members of the Big Brother Club, and Edison, not wanting to miss an opportunity, encouraged Bob to do some very indirect selling - some shows about using home appliances (Edison appliances, of course) safely. He quickly became a very credible spokesperson, because kids trusted him. When a store wanted somebody to appear at an opening or promote a new product to kids, the management would call upon Bob Emery, knowing what a following he had. To Bob's credit, he did not seem to take every opportunity that came his way, but he did become a fairly frequent voice for Edison products, as might be expected given how Edison had supported his show.

- Donna Halper is a lecturer and broadcast consultant based in Quincy, MA. Her love of radio history is evident in the way she captures the essence of her subjects.

Bob Emery, Pt. 5

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

“Big Brother” Bob Emery ... a Legend in Children's Programming
Donna Halper

The Edison Big Brother Club, as it was called, often reached out to its young listeners Bob would have a "day" for a particular town, and elementary or junior high school club members from that town were invited to watch the show as part of the studio audience. And as he had done at WGI, Bob Emery became a roving ambassador for WEEI.

He made appearances at various schools and organizations that catered to young people, such as the Boy Scouts; he would sing and play his ukulele, and talk to the kids about up-coming events on his show, while encouraging them to get involved in charitable projects in their community. Edison, which was a very promotion minded company, helped him to start a club magazine for the members. The company also helped to arrange "Big Brother Day" at various locations.

The first of these events was in early July of 1925, an outing for club members at an amusement park in Newton known as Norumbega Park. It drew so many young people and their parents that the newspapers ended up treating it as a news story rather than relegating it to the radio page-- the crowd was estimated as the largest in the history of the park, and one of the biggest children's outings in greater Boston. Big Brother's drawing power and his popularity among kids continued to grow. His musical talent and his ability to entertain kids earned him the opportunity to be the headliner at a show at the B.F. Keith theatre in the summer of 1926; soon, he was doing the Big Brother club live at various locations.

- Donna Halper is a lecturer and broadcast consultant based in Quincy, MA. Her love of radio history is evident in the way she captures the essence of her subjects.

Bob Emery, Pt. 4

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

“Big Brother” Bob Emery ... a Legend in Children's Programming
Donna Halper

WEEI did its first broadcast in late September, and within only a few days, the Big Brother Club was back on the air, this time with a much bigger budget and a much better signal. 6 October 1924 was the first "club meeting", and the show was very well-received.

Bob began writing a monthly column for the Edison company publication, "Edison Life", wherein he kept everyone at Edison up to date with what the club was accomplishing. It was in an issue of "Edison Life" that he explained why he had chosen the name Big Brother. He explained how the show came to be - that he had felt it was time for a children's show that did more than just read bed-time stories, a show in which the kids could participate, and not just sit passively listening to the announcer. "[Next, I wanted to] create a character who would have a good influence on children. The Big Brother idea serves this purpose. We all remember we looked to our Big Brother for assistance, and if we had none, how we all wished we did."

Further, he stated that the show had no advertising purpose (this would soon change), and that its sole intent was to "...create good-will among its members, and also to instill into the minds of the children the meaning of a "Big Brother Act", and the significance of the club slogan - Be Somebody's Big Brother or Sister Every Day." (Edison Life, November 1924, p. 322) As part of the desire to have members participate, Bob also began writing a Sunday column in the Boston Herald; kids were asked an opinion question of the week, and the best letters to him were published in the newspaper. Imagine what a big deal that must have been for a child in the 1920s - not only being listened to by an adult, but having your opinion appear in a major newspaper!

- Donna Halper is a lecturer and broadcast consultant based in Quincy, MA. Her love of radio history is evident in the way she captures the essence of her subjects.

Bob Emery, Pt. 3

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

“Big Brother” Bob Emery ... a Legend in Children's Programming
Donna Halper

Bob Emery at WGI in 1924
Bob's show on WGI was done with a very limited budget (AMRAD was in financial trouble by this time), but kids loved him, and he always managed to find interesting guests. Meanwhile, as AMRAD's money problems grew more serious, Bob Emery and several other WGI personnel quietly began seeking other options, in case their paychecks suddenly came to a halt.

Fortunately, a new station was going on the air in September of 1924 - run by the Edison Electric Illuminating Company. It had financial stability, it wanted to hire good people, and Bob decided to join them as their PD. This must have been a serious blow to WGI to lose the person who was their highest profile talent - Bob did lots of appearances and was a good will ambassador for the AMRAD station - but now, he took those talents to a new station, for which he requested the call letters WEEI. (Going with him as his assistant was Marjorie Drew, who had been in charge of women's programming at WGI. She would now do similar programming at WEEI, and also help to book the guests for the Big Brother Club.)

With its new studios at 39 Boylston Street, WEEI wasted no time making an impact. It stole several respected radio columnists away from their newspapers to be in upper management (Charlie Burton of the Boston Herald and Lewis Whitcomb of the Boston Post), hired several of AMRAD's engineers, and was ready to give WNAC - the other big station in Boston that could afford to pay its talent - some real competition. Thanks to its Edison connection, WEEI already had a number of experienced musical groups in house - as you may recall, companies in those days encouraged employees to perform at company functions - but WEEI's management was determined to hire the best people, even if that meant going outside of Edison. (Meanwhile, WBZ was still in Springfield and still working out technical problems with its Boston studio. Soon, WEEI would hire away one of WBZ's best known announcers too.)

- Donna Halper is a lecturer and broadcast consultant based in Quincy, MA. Her love of radio history is evident in the way she captures the essence of her subjects.

Bob Emery, Pt. 2

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

“Big Brother” Bob Emery ... a Legend in Children's Programming
Donna Halper

Claire Robert Emery was born in Abington, Massachusetts, and he graduated from Abington High School. Much of his youth was spent on his grandfather's farm. He later moved to Hingham. Unsure of what he wanted to do with his life, he took a job at Gilchrist's Department Store in Boston, managing the shoe department. It was customary in those days for companies to have employee glee clubs or drama groups to entertain at company functions. Bob, who could play several instruments, joined a quartet at the store. It was 1921, and the local radio station, 1XE (later known as WGI) was constantly seeking volunteer talent to perform on the air. So the Gilchrist Quartet went to Medford Hillside to sing at 1XE, and even though they only knew a few songs, they got a good response.

The PD, Herb Miller, liked their harmonies and invited them back. He especially felt that Bob had potential as an entertainer, and during the Christmas season, he asked Bob to play Santa Claus on 1XE. Bob felt he was too young to be a credible Santa, so he created a character called "Big Brother" to read stories and answer kids' letters to Santa. He was ultimately hired full-time, with a salary of $35 a week. During 1922, he alternated with various of the AMRAD employees (including Bill Barrow-- or "Uncle Billy", Eunice Randall, and several others) handling the children's programming.

He also used his musical talent to sing with other Amradians, and sometimes he accompanied a vocalist. But it would be another year before he became the official host of a very successful kids' show - The Big Brother Club.

By late 1923/early 1924, Bob Emery (or C.R.E. when he was announcing - some announcers still used only initials, a tradition from the early days of ham radio) was the Program Director of WGI. He had also started the Big Brother Club, and it was rapidly becoming a very popular program. As its name suggested, it was a club - kids who listened could apply for membership. They would get amembership card and pin, and they had to promise to do good deeds and be good citizens.

- Donna Halper is a lecturer and broadcast consultant based in Quincy, MA. Her love of radio history is evident in the way she captures the essence of her subjects.

Bob Emery, Pt. 1

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

“Big Brother” Bob Emery ... a Legend in Children's Programming
Donna Halper

If you grew up in greater Boston in the early 1950s, you remember seeing Big Brother on channel 4. By then, he was an older man, grandfatherly in appearance, but still quite energetic. I remember him with his ukulele, singing "Oh the grass is always greener in the other fella's yard/ the little row we had to hoe, oh boy that's hard...", or at least that's what it sounded like. I didn't fully understand the words, but I liked how he sang the song. His program taught values like good citizenship (remember the Toast to the President of the United States? There was President Eisenhower's photo, and Big Brother would hold up a glass of milk, while "Hail to the Chief" played in the background), while entertaining kids with songs and stories and even a contest or two. He referred to his young audience as "small fry", and his closing song was "So long small fry, it's time to say goodbye..."

Since I was only a kid in the early 50s, I had no idea that he had been doing the "Small Fry Club" in one form or another for the past 30 years. I also didn't know that the original version of his closing theme song had a line which said "Come back again tomorrow night and then/ we'll have more fun, there's some for everyone..."; in his radio days, the Big Brother Club was broadcast right after dinner, at 6:30 pm. But on television, the show had a weekday afternoons at 12:15 time slot, causing the lyrics to change to "come back again, tomorrow noon and then..."

Years later, when I had long since outgrown children's shows, I sometimes wondered whatever happened to the announcers and performers I grew up listening to and watching. When I became a broadcast historian, I started doing research on those great personalities from the 40s and 50s, and it was then that I finally learnt about Big Brother's many achievements. One article I found about him was especially interesting – it was written in 1968, just after he had retired, and in it, he told the interviewer that he was busy writing a book about his career in broadcasting. To my knowledge, that book never came out, which is a shame, because "Big Brother" Bob Emery certainly deserves to be remembered.

- Donna Halper is a lecturer and broadcast consultant based in Quincy, MA. Her love of radio history is evident in the way she captures the essence of her subjects.

Dark Fantasy, Pt. 4

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Dark Fantasy: WKY’s Contribution to NBC Programming
Bret Jones
Copyright © 2008

The show continued to receive support from The Oklahoman with broadcast times published, as well as occasionally one paragraph blurbs over Friday night’s storyline. One such issue of the newspaper promoted the Friday the thirteenth episode from February 1942. According to the paper: “Who-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o is scared of Friday the thirteenth? Not the cast of ‘Dark Fantasy,’ that weird and grisly horror drama…” (Oklahoman, 2/13/42) The article continues:

When Author Scott Bishop and Producer John Prosser noticed they had to present the thirteenth in their series of blood-curlers on Friday the thirteenth, they determined to abandon caution entirely.

The episode’s title for this entry in the series was “W is for Werewolf.”

Unfortunately, the series didn’t capture a large enough audience and was cancelled by NBC in the early summer of 1942. This didn’t stop The Oklahoman from bragging about WKY’s achievement. In April 1944 the paper reminds readers of the twenty-six week run of Dark Fantasy. This is the last time that The Oklahoman wrote about the radio drama.

Although its run was short, Dark Fantasy is a solid program with interesting stories acted well and with high quality sound effects and music. The stories range in writing quality. Some of Bishop’s early yarns in the series are overly melodramatic and predictable. However, as the show progressed from week to week, so does the quality of the stories. The structure is tighter with unique plots, characters, and conflicts. For the horror connoisseur this is a good addition to the collection.

Dark Fantasy, Pt. 3

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Dark Fantasy: WKY’s Contribution to NBC Programming
Bret Jones
Copyright © 2008

Each show opens with a fierce winding blowing underscored by a moody organ chord. A detached voice, almost devoid of life, announces the show: “Dark…Fantasy.” InnerSanctum’s Raymond or “the man in black” from Suspense had more personality. For just a moment it resembles the zombie-like voice from the beginning of Lights Out: “It … is … later … than … you … think.” With Raymond and “the man in black” there was at least a wink thrown at the audience, not so with Dark Fantasy. As soon as the dead voice announced the show, the title was given and the play began.Episodes from the series deal with dark imagery and interesting stories. For example, the first episode, “The Man Who Came Back,” a man returns from the dead to punish, and eventually drive an enemy to commit suicide. “I am the Thing from the Sea” has two beings from a legendary sea kingdom taking possession of humans to have a final confrontation, which destroys the island in the process. “The Demon Tree” incorporates English folklore dealing with a tree cursed to kill the descendants of a man who killed a witch.

The most unique show from the series is the fifth episode, “I am the Dweller in the House of Bread.” Scott Bishop narrates the story as he describes a dream he has of “a wise man” telling him to find the “house of bread.” During his journey, which takes on monumental spiritual proportions, he desperately searches for this “house of bread” that has been proclaimed as a place of comfort and peace. At the end of the tale Bishop finds himself in Bethlehem, which translated means “the house of bread.” The man in his dream is implied as Jesus Christ, whose name in the program is “Word.” This was Dark Fantasy’s Christmas show. Compared to other programs of the age, this one episode stands out as a unique offering on the airwaves.

Dark Fantasy, Pt. 2

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Dark Fantasy: WKY’s Contribution to NBC Programming
Bret Jones
Copyright © 2008

Dark Fantasy was written, produced, and acted by WKY staff. Scott Bishop, who would go on to pen stories for Mysterious Traveler, was the writer for the anthology. The producer for the program was John Prosser and some of the actors included: Ben Morris and Eugene Francis, who were heard week after week taking on new roles. This is unprecedented during the “golden age” of radio broadcasting as audio theatre of the day was presented by professional actors and writing staff. This makes Dark Fantasy a unique entry in the history of the medium. The only well-known performer to appear on the show was Jane Wyatt, the three-time Emmy-winning actress. The parts she is remembered for is from Father Knows Best starring opposite Robert Young and as Mr. Spock’s mother from Star Trek. The Dark Fantasy episode she appeared in was “Debt from the Past.”

From its first episode the program was immediately compared to Lights Out, which was considered the pinnacle of audio horror. Also, being in the horror category helped determined its 11:30pm timeslot on Friday nights. The show in many ways resembled the melodramatic quality of Lights Out, Sealed Book, and Witches’ Tale, but possessed its own unique brand of eeriness.

Dark Fantasy, Pt. 1

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Dark Fantasy: WKY’s Contribution to NBC Programming
Bret Jones
Copyright © 2008

During the height of radio drama broadcasts, shows originated from urban areas where technology, actors, writers, and production staff were the best available. For NBC, programming was carried by the network from New York, Chicago, and Hollywood. But for a one season run of twenty-six weeks, NBC broadcast the horror anthology series Dark Fantasy, which came from WKY in Oklahoma City.

WKY was started by two radio hobbyists, E.C. Hull and H.S. Richards, who started broadcasting under the call letters 5XT in the spring of 1921. The station’s location was in Hull’s garage at his house in Oklahoma City. The living room was converted into a “studio” and the duo started in the radio broadcasting business. As of 1921, WKY was among three commercial stations west of the Mississippi River; the other two were in Detroit and Kansas City. The station would eventually be purchased by The Oklahoma Publishing Company.

Within a short period of time WKY became Oklahoma’s premiere radio station with studios in the Skirvin Tower near downtown Oklahoma City. In 1941 WKY staff auditioned the horror series Dark Fantasy. According to The Oklahoman: “…WKY will demonstrate that it has reached full maturity by inaugurating a series of programs Friday on the NBC red network…”(Oklahoman, 11/13/41) The article professed: “Friday night it will become the first station outside of New York, Hollywood and Chicago from which a dramatic production has been originated for the national chain.” The show was presented over more than 125 stations.

Wistful Vistas for Dee

Long time OTRR member and OTR-lover Dee DeTevis passed away. Mike Arendt posted this to the group's Yahoo page:

"Our 'Queen' has passed away. Dee DeTevis has passed away on 2-28-09, at 10:10am. At about 1-19-09 she went into the hospital, and found she had cancer. I found a email on 1-23-09 asking for my phone number to give me instructions on the groups. Always putting all her time to the groups. The Cancer hit her lungs and liver with small cell cancer, and if thatwasn't bad enough she had a legion in the brain too. She was the best penpal / friend I have ever had. When My dad went down hill, she called to check on me, helped me by mentally keeping me going, and then more after my dad's passing in August 2008! She was the best of the best! She is going to be deeply missed, and will never be matched in this world!"

Dee is the third active OTRR member and friend to pass since late 2008. The group sends prayers and best wishes to all her family and friends. For Dee, it's wistful vistas forever.

Rosa Rio, Pt. 6

Originally published in the February, 2009, Old Radio Times.(http://www.otrr.org/pg07_times.htm)

Rosa Rio: the Music of the Air
Thomas P. Honsa

Some of Rio’s fondest memories are of the comedians she worked with. They provided her with humorous, yet often tense, moments. One such incident came thanks to the famous Jimmy Durante.

“One of the last times I was on with him I was to play the Hammond organ. Now, when he was younger he had been a bit of a piano player, but he just ruined the music. That was part of his personality. He did it to make people laugh. Well, I was scheduled to go on and he was running over. I kept looking at the clock. I was on in 15 minutes, then it was ten, then five. Next thing I know I was on in one minute and he was just finishing his routine. I was terrified to say anything. How do you go to a big star like Jimmy Durante and say ‘Sorry Mr. Durante, but I’m on next’? He finally looked over and saw me and called me out onto the stage. He met me over at the organ, laid that famous hat down and said ‘I’d give a million dollars to be able to play like you.’ Later his manager came and saw me and said, ‘You know, he meant every word of that.’”

As well as Rio got along well with her co-workers and employers, she continued to face the challenges of a working woman at the time. In his book on radio history The Great American Broadcast, Leonard Maltin relates announcer Jackson Beck’s story of the time Rio had to contend with the antics of fellow announcer/actor Dorian St. George. “She’s at the Hammond organ, and she’s a very attractive talented lady, great sense of humor. And he [St. George] went up and unbuttoned her blouse while she’s playing; she had a blouse with buttons down the back. He unbuttoned the whole thing and then he undid her bra. She can’t say anything, and there’s an audience up in the visitors’ booth at NBC watching this. She waits until his middle commercial comes up and she walks up, undoes his belt, unzips his fly and drops his pants.”

Rio says the incident really happened and notes how different life was for working women back then. “They did everything they could to tease me because I had the reputation of being a good sport. You see I was the only woman and that was really something. I must say they never showed me anything but great respect, but they did love to tease me.”

- Tom Honsa is an adjunct professor of History at Eckerd College and Manatee Community College in Florida. He recently interviewed Rosa Rio, who is still performing at the age (unofficially) of 105.